Morning everyone. Donald Trump will have to wait a bit longer before he learns whether his criminal conviction for falsifying business records will be thrown out after the judge put off his decision in the matter. We have the details plus the latest on who will be in Trump’s new administration.
Meanwhile Australia now has a higher bar on exporting arms to Israel, officials have said. Alex de Minaur has been trounced in Turin. We hear from striking sex workers in Sydney, and why the inventor of the built-in kitchen came to see it as a curse.
Australia
Nurses’ anger | Nurses and midwives across New South Wales say they are “infuriated” ahead of a 24-hour strike today, days after NSW police won a pay deal that will see wages rise by up to 40%.
Permit lapse | Australia has amended or lapsed at least 16 defence-related export permits to Israel in recent weeks, government officials have confirmed at Senate estimates, saying violence in the Middle East meant a “tougher test” for exports.
Sex strike | Sex workers striking for better pay, a cleaner workplace and the right to decide which services they provide to clients at an upmarket inner Sydney brothel have been met with an alleged aggressive response, according to protesters.
Real estate AI | A real estate listing advertisement that mentioned fake schools has highlighted how widely artificial intelligence is being used – and the potential risks of relying on it – according to industry insiders.
Cold case | The lead investigator in the cold case of the German backpacker Simone Strobel has told an inquest he still believes she was probably killed by her boyfriend.
World
Archbishop quits | The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has announced that he will step down after facing mounting pressure to quit over his handling of an abuse scandal. What happens now?
Trump delay | The judge in Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal hush-money case has postponed deciding on whether to throw out the president-elect’s conviction on presidential immunity grounds. Trump is planning a flurry of executive orders on his first day in office, an aide says, while Donald Trump Jr is joining a venture capital firm rather than his father’s increasingly hawkish-looking administration. Track the cabinet here and follow events live.
Germany election date | Germany is expected to hold a snap election on 23 February after an agreement between the leading Social Democrats and the main conservative opposition CDU/CSU.
China deaths | Thirty-five people have died and 43 have been injured after a car was driven into people exercising at a sports centre in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai, state television CCTV reported.
Shell win | Shell has won its appeal against a landmark climate judgment by a Dutch court which ordered the fossil fuel company to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
Auerbach dies | Frank Auerbach, one of the most significant figurative painters of the postwar era, has died aged 93. Born in Berlin, he escaped Nazi Germany to Britain and later became a member Soho’s artistic crowd.
Full Story
The high cost of Australia’s dental care divide
Amid concern about the rising cost of dental care, health reporter Natasha May speaks to Reged Ahmed about how the perfect smile is a privilege increasingly available only to the wealthy.
In-depth
They’re the awards that no one wants to win and this year’s recipients of a Shonky for worst product and services are the tech company Meta and the health insurer NIB. The consumer advocacy group Choice said Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook and Instagram empire failed to protect social media users from scams, while NIB “won” for charging single parents more than couples. Sharlotte Thou has the details.
Not the news
Continuous kitchen countertops, built-in cabinets and a tiled splashback are taken for granted thanks to the pioneering work of the Austrian designer Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky. Her vision in 1926 helped create the world’s first built-in kitchen – now fully restored in Vienna. But she was to become frustrated that its utility overshadowed her other work. Aged 101, she raged: “If I had known that everyone would keep talking about nothing else, I would never have built that damned kitchen!”
Sport
Tennis | Alex de Minaur’s ATP Finals debut appears to have come to a brutal end with a match still to play after being blown off court by a rejuvenated Daniil Medvedev.
Football | Hervé Renard is back in charge of Saudi Arabia as he attempts to revive their flagging World Cup qualifying campaign against the Socceroos in Melbourne tomorrow night.
Rugby union | If Australia’s Brett Robinson wins the race to become head of World Rugby, he will have a long list of issues to deal with including the 20-minute red card controversy.
Media roundup
The former minister who introduced Victoria’s waste-to-energy policy is opposing an incinerator near her electorate, the Age reports. Immigration into Australia is at an all-time high thanks to overseas students, New Zealanders and backpackers, the Fin Review claims. The Telegraph has a special report on what it calls the “turgid” planning system behind NSW’s housing crisis. The death of a Gold Coast fitness influencer has left his thousands of followers in shock, the Bulletin reports.
What’s happening today
New South Wales | Nurses and midwives 24-hour strike starts with morning shift at 7.30am.
Canberra | Simon Birmingham to deliver an address the National Press Club on “Australia’s interests in a contested world”.
Melbourne | National Tech Summit with speakers including Mike Cannon-Brookes, Robyn Denholm and Bill Shorten.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
